ARGUMENTATIVE INDIANS PODCAST: Recent Episodes
Argumentative Indians
Non-partisan forum for sharing of bold ideas and intelligent insights through spontaneous conversations and spirited debates. We dive deep into topics, bring insider perspectives, challenge popular notions and uncover new angles.
SPEAKERS
Lt. General Ajay Kumar Singh
PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), former Commander in Chief of Southern Command of Indian Army, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and currently Advisor to O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).
Shrabani Basu
Journalist and Author of many critically acclaimed books including For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-18 and Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, and Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan. Shrabani is a frequent commentator on Indian history on British television and radio and has appeared in several BBC documentaries on the subject of Empire.
Dr. Indivar Kamtekar
Associate Professor of Modern History at the Centre for Historical Studies of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is the Modern History editor of the journal Studies in History. He has been a member of the Indian Historical Records Commission, and of the editorial board of the journal Modern Asian Studies. He is also the co-author of the book History in the Making: The Visual Archives of Kulwant Roy.
SYNOPSIS
How does one reconcile with the fact that these soldiers through their devoted services and unbending loyalty were further strengthening a foreign power that was subjugating and exploiting their countrymen? #Britain never had a large contingent in India. It was the Indian soldiers of the #BritishIndianArmy who ensured that no native ruler in India could challenge the British authority. After securing indisputable hegemony for Britain over all of India, they helped it extend its power over our neighbours from Afghanistan to Burma. Sure the Indian soldiers fought valiantly in the world wars, but the people they fought in places extending from Egypt to Malaysia bore no ill-will towards Indians. They were not India’s enemies.
We laud the mutineers of #1857 as India’s first independence heroes, then how can we also commemorate those who chose the #EastIndiaCompany over India and enabled it to defeat these mutineers and brutally crush India’s first rebellion for independence. Similarly, we cannot simultaneously valorise the Indian National Army led by Subhash Chandra #Bose and also those who defeated it so that India continued to remain firmly under the yoke of British tyranny.
However, soldiers fight for the government of the day. All over the world, good soldiers are expected to follow the orders, and not question the motives behind them. The political situation and societal values have considerably changed since the days of the British Indian Army. Is it fair for us to apply our contemporary lens and discredit the sacrifices of these brave Indian men?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
Bharat Ki Bhashaein - The Indian Language Project
भारत की भाषाईन - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, भारत की भाषाएँ - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, ਭਾਰਤ ਕੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਈਂ - ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਪ੍ਰੋਜੈਕਟ, ভাৰত কি ভাষায়েন - ভাৰতীয় ভাষা প্ৰকল্প, ভারত কি ভাষাইন - ভারতীয় ভাষা প্রকল্প, ڀارت جي ڀاشاين - هندستاني ٻولي پروجيڪٽ,, பாரத் கி பாஷெய்ன் - இந்திய மொழி திட்டம், భారత్ కీ భాషేయిన్ - ది ఇండియన్ లాంగ్వేజ్ ప్రాజెక్ట్ഭാ, രത് കി ഭാഷാഇൻ - ഇന്ത്യൻ ഭാഷാ പദ്ധതി, بھارت کی بھاشاین - ہندوستانی زبان کا پروجیکٹ,, ભારત કી ભાષા - ભારતીય ભાષા પ્રોજેક્ટ, ଭରତ କି ଭ ha ଶାଇନ୍ - ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାଷା ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ |
SPEAKER:
Mahmood Farooqui is an Indian writer, performer and director. He specializes in a type of story-telling known as Dastangoi. Farooqui along with his uncle Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, noted Urdu poet and literary critic, revived Dastangoi, the ancient art of Urdu storytelling. He was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Pursakar in 2010 for it.
His publications include the award-winning Besieged: Voices from Delhi,1857, Habib Tanvir: Memoirs, Dastangoi,an introduction to the art of dastangoi, and A Requiem for Pakistan: The world of Intizar Husain, a personal exploration of the literary and biographical world of Intizar Husain and brief history of modern Urdu Literary Culture
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
At the #WhiteHouse reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on 2nd May, US #president #joebiden said that Muslims are globally being targeted with violence. This certainly seems to be the case, with news reports about state oppression, social ostracism, hate crimes and mob violence from around the world increasingly having one thing in common - the religious identity of the victims. Muslims seem to be the target of discriminatory policies ranging from racial profiling in the #US to #CAA in India to hijab bans in Europe. Furthermore Sri Lanka’s shutting down of Madrasas, China’s #Uighur concentration camps and Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing reinforce the view that this is a global phenomenon. And it is not limited to the state-backed policies alone. Vandalism and terror attacks on mosques seem to have become disturbingly frequent in places as far away as Australia, France and Canada. And as per most international watchdogs, both sides of the Atlantic are witnessing a surge in violent crimes against Muslims, especially women who wear clothing associated with their religion.
Is the global Muslim community under siege, as has been asserted by some observers? While the anecdotal evidence would clearly suggest so, does empirical data support it?
Explaining social and political trends playing in numerous nations across different continents simply by pointing towards Global #Islamophobia leaves many questions unanswered. What is causing the selective targeting of Muslims? Why is this happening now at the same time in so many places? What makes Muslims more vulnerable to such targeting than other minorities in many countries? What are the possible solutions?
In order to take on any challenge, it is crucial to first develop a proper understanding of it. This is our aim with the proposed knowledge session.
SPEAKER:
Prof. Khaled A. Beydoun
Professor Khaled A. Beydoun is a law professor, author and public intellectual. He serves as a law professor at Wayne State University, a Scholar-in-Residence at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, and Associate Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights in Detroit. Professor Beydoun is author of the critically acclaimed book American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear, and co-editor of Islamophobia and the Law – published by University of Cambridge Press.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
In the first episode of the Documentary Series, Argumentative Indians explore
"India's Language Story- Looking for the Missing Links"
As a union of not just states, but of several linguistically diverse peoples, it is unsurprising that disputes over languages have a long history in India. Mass protests and brutal riots were witnessed during the decades after the independence as states were slowly reorganised on linguistic lines. While some languages initially overlooked by the constitution won their battle for official recognition, others gave up and perished, and some still continue to fight.
BJP, the Hindu-nationalist party, currently in power at the centre, is accused of pushing for Hindi-imperialism. However, the debate over national language predates them by over a century. Many of India’s leading independence leaders including Mahatma Gandhi were in favour of linguistic unification and ending the dominance of English, the language of the colonisers.
The unified language Mahatma Gandhi had endorsed was not Hindi, but Hindustani, the language of Indian nationalism and freedom struggle. He believed it would be a more secular choice, fusing Urdu and Hindi into one. Secular it may have been, but it surely wasn’t inclusive of vast swathes of Indians in the South and the East. And now the case for Hindustani is all but dead, with many Indians coming to see Urdu as a non-Indian language.
On the other hand, English has gone from success to success. While understood by a tiny portion of the urban elite at the time of the independence and limited to official use only, in the past 75 years English has penetrated into almost all spheres of Indian life, and percolated down to its remote towns and villages.
After seeing its economic value, most Indians are now loath to give up English, but a small faction still hopes for a national “Link Language” of Indian origin. But any discussion on it rapidly descends into repugnant language chauvinism. “Tamil is the oldest language.” “Bengali is the sweetest language.” “Those who don’t know Hindi cannot be Indians”… and more such trite statements are commonly thrown around.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
While China has claimed that 160 countries reaffirmed commitment to its one-China principle following the visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, India said Friday its own "relevant policies are well known and consistent" and don't require a reiteration. Breaking its silence on the Taiwan issue, and as China intensifies its military drills, the government expressed concern over the rising Cross-Strait tensions and called for restraint and for avoiding any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo.
While India follows a one-China policy, and has only unofficial ties with Taiwan, it stopped reiterating the same in bilateral documents with China well over a decade ago and following differences with Beijing over issues related to Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.
"Like many other countries, India too is concerned at recent developments. We urge the exercise of restraint, avoidance of unilateral actions to change status quo, de-escalation of tensions and efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, responding to media queries about India's position.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
Described in the oldest texts of the Rigveda, Saraswati surpassed in majesty and might all other rivers. Pure in her course from the mountains to the ocean, she descended with a roar down the slope, her fierce current gurgling through its canyon course, containing ~powerful floods inside her. She was the “perfect mother, unsurpassed river, supreme goddess” (Sindhumata).
She finds repeated mentions in Brahamanas and the Mahabharata, in the Puranas and the Smritis. Saraswati intrigued philosophers and poets for generations.
Over thousands of years, as no such river flowed in the physical form, she assumed an other-worldly or mythical status in the minds of Indians, who continue to venerate her as the goddess of knowledge, learning, wisdom, music and the arts.
For centuries people have believed her to be an invisible river that merges into the holy rivers of Ganga and Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam. Millions of Hindus believe that taking a dip there will wash away their sins and free them from the cycle of rebirth.
There are legends that tell us that Saraswati flows underground. One such legend has it that the beautiful goddess Saraswati sprung from the forehead of her father Brahma, the god of creation. It is said that as soon as Brahma looked at her beauty, he was filled with desire for her. Unhappy with the amorous attentions he bestowed upon her, she tried to dodge and hide. This is why the river Saraswati flows underground.
However these #myths and #legends are not sufficient to satiate the curiosity of modern Indians. Since the 20th century, numerous searches have been undertaken for the lost physical river.
Why does a river not seen for thousands of years evoke so much interest? Because according to many in resolving the mystery of #saraswati is the key to understanding our beginning, as a people, as a #culture and as a #civilisation .
While the mystery still endures, in recent years major breakthroughs have significantly expanded our knowledge about #saraswati — These include satellite imagery of ancient river channels, population genetic studies and #archeological discoveries.
So what do we know now? And how to make sense of it?
To address this we are joined by renowned scholar Dr. Lajwanti Shahani, an archaeologist specialising in Harappan and Mesopotamian cultures.
SPEAKER:
Dr. Lajwanti Shahani, an archaeologist with a PhD (from Deccan College,
Pune) in Harappan sea trade of 5000 years ago with another ancient civilization Mesopotamia, and two local cultures of the Persian Gulf region called Dilmun (Bahrain and Qatar), and Magan (Oman Peninsula).
For her fieldwork, she have travelled across Gujarat and Kutch in India, plus the UAE and Oman in the Oman Peninsula identifying markers, and artefacts, of the trade connect:
Apart from her PhD thesis and Master’s dissertation, she has a number of published papers, presented at various conferences on archaeology and marine archaeology, both national and international.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
sufism in #india is associated with mysticism - from #kashmir to #kanyakumari our land is abound with legends of great fakirs, magical amulets, and sacred dargahs. Far away from the strict tenets of Orthodox Islam, Sufism spread and prospered in India for centuries, operating in a largely spiritual domain. Millions of Indians, regardless of their religious affiliations, still flock to shrines of venerated Sufi saints scattered across the subcontinent. They make earnest wishes and sacred vows in the hope of divine intervention. Yet most of them know little to nothing about the philosophies of those saints. Sufism has exerted such prolonged and profound influence on Indian thought and culture, that its ideas are no longer distinguishable. Over the centuries they have blended into our collective wisdom just like Sufi poetry and music are now integral to India.
In this session we aim to discuss Sufism’s history in India that spans over a millenia. We hope to understand its powerful appeal to all kinds of Indians - from poor Dalits to mighty Sultans, the role it played in India’s religious and political developments, how it shaped Indian society and culture, and how it in turn got shaped by them, and finally its place and relevance in today’s India.
SPEAKER:
Moin Mir is a London-based writer of Indian origin. He began writing under the influence of his grandfather, a scholar of Sufism, Omar Khayyam, and Mirza Ghalib. He is the author of critically acclaimed book Surat: Fall of a Port, Rise of a Prince. His second book The Lost Fragrance of Infinity has been commended for beautifully blending history with philosophy in a story that spans continents.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
From #WendyDoniger to #EvanSpiegel to #justintrudeau , and more recently #rihanna and #gretathunberg Thunberg, we tend to go up in arms at every hint of being slighted or criticised by an outsider. Is this because we are exceptionally thin-skinned? Or is this because we are trying to regain control of the international narrative about India, still plagued with #colonial prejudices.
This is a complex matter and opinions tend to diverge drastically. With the aim of exploring this topic in depth, some of the brightest minds of India from varied fields including Politics, Technology, History, Entertainment and Journalism came together in this insightful debate.
We are proud to have brought together such an amazing group of panelists:
Sanjay Jha - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjay-jh...
Vikram Sampath - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikram-sa...
Shweta Kothari - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shwkothari
Shashank Pathak - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashank-ai/
Sukrit Sharma - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukrit-sh...
Yajur Arora -
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
In 1998, former president #drkalam predicted that India was on its way to becoming a #superpower . Since then people have started referring to India as an emerging global power.
In 2009 Hillary Clinton called India "not just a regional power, but a global power". Following year US President Barack Obama stated “India is not just a rising power, it has already risen.” More recently Biden administration welcomed India’s “emergence as a #globalpower ”.
Indians have come to believe their ascent to superpower status is inevitable. However the economic growth has stalled, and for the first time since independence middle class has begun to shrink. India is failing to provide quality #education , decent #healthcare and most importantly jobs to its ever burgeoning population. Further the nation is struggling to keep up with the rapid technological breakthroughs such as Artificial Intelligence, Drone Warfare, 3D Printing, 5G and Blockchain taking place outside its borders.
Is Dr Kalam’s prediction still possible?
PANELISTS
Gen JJ Singh - 21st Chief of Army Staff, Former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh
Dilip Cherian - Public Relations expert, Political Campaign Advisor, well known Lobbyist
Bharat Karnad - Author, Emeritus Professor for National Security Studies
Abhijit Iyer-Mitra - Journalist, Researcher, Defence & International Security Expert
Shehzad Poonawalla - Lawyer, Civil Rights Activist, Political Commentator
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Indian historian and journalist. Editor-at-Large at Fortune India where he writes a weekly column. He is also a columnist for Aspen Italia and The New Indian Express.In 2019, his book "The Man Who Saved India" won the prize for best work of non-fiction at the Valley of Words literary festival in India. In 2018, he became the only Indian to win the Wilbur Award given by the Religion Communicators Council of America for his book "Being Hindu". In 2015, his book Recasting India was shortlisted for the Hayek Prize given by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative American think-tank. Hindol Sengupta’s tenth book Sing, Dance and Pray was released on May 14, 2022. This is the authorized biography of Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON.
sardarpatel #indianhistory #indianhistorylive #indianleaders #indiaindependence #partition #indiaindependence
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Professor Pechilis is a Historian of Religions and serves as Chair of the College of Liberal Arts History department, where she teaches courses in global history, the history of Asian religions in the U.S., historical research methods and gender and history. Recent work includes reflections on the body in Indian traditions, theorizing the relationship between bhakti and Tantra, and ethnographic study of women and their perceptions and experience of work. She is the Author of the influential book, 'The Embodiment of Bhakti'.
indianhistory #bhakti #bhaktimovement #historyofindia #bhaktiyoga #kabirdas #gurunanakdevji #meerabai #ramanujacharya
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Prof. Patton E. Burchett
Patton Burchett is an assistant professor of religious studies at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Professor Burchett's research focuses on (a) early modern devotional (bhakti) and tantric/yogic religiosity in north India and (b) the interrelations of magic, science, and religion in the rise of Indian and Western modernities. His first book, released in May 2019, is titled A Genealogy of Devotion: Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India.
SYNOPSIS:
Far from being at the periphery, #tantra was the dominant form of #religiosity in large parts of the Indian subcontinent for many many centuries. According to several scholars some of the most salient features of Indian culture such as #yoga , #puja , #meditation , #mantras and even the Hindu temple originated not in the #vedas or #upanishads but in Tantra! It’s influence on our contemporary beliefs and practices is immeasurable. Then why and how did Tantra become synonymous with blackmagic in India?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Ambassador Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was Ambassador and High Commissioner for Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, and Germany; and consul general in San Francisco. He served on staff of PM Indira Gandhi (1981-82).
Author of the forthcoming book - Churchill, and India: Manipulation Or Betrayal?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Disha Ahluwalia is an archeologist currently pursuing a PhD at MSU Baroda. She has worked as a field archaeologist for a decade including at sites like Binjor, Sinauli and Rakhigarhi.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
Speaker: Nilakantan RS trained as an engineer at Clemson University and is the Chief Data Scientist for one of India’s largest fintech firms. His primary interest is designing stable decentralized systems – be they political entities or business-related processes.He has written for publications such as The Caravan, Wire.com and The Hindu.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
Across the globe, #brands are becoming more vocal about #social and #political issues. This wasn't always the case, till a few decades ago, brands considered any form of advocacy as 'bad business' and prospered on playing it safe. However, as employees and customers become ever more environmentally-conscious, socially-aware and politically-engaged, it has become increasingly challenging for brands to remain silent on raging culture wars. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility - with the kind of influence they assert, brands are expected to speak out.
Many corporations have begun to evaluate their impact on the community and the environment. Through their brands they try to proactively show that they care about more than just minting profits. When big brands choose to take a moral stand, it can count for potent messaging too. This can be evidenced in popular advertisements, campaigns (such as #nike ‘For Once, Just Don’t Do It’ campaign with respect to #racism in #america or P&G's ‘We See Equal’ campaign designed to fight #genderbias ) or even in the choice of brand ambassadors, which are quickly absorbed into public conversation. Some have welcomed this #corporateactivism, for it is these organisational values that in turn form a big part of their overall identity and cultivate an authentic brand promise.
PANELISTS:
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Jessie Paul
Jessie Paul is a marketing specialist and the Founder/ CEO of Paul Writer, India's leading B2B consulting firm. With over 18 years in services marketing, including a stint with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Ms. Paul is considered an expert in brand globalization and has been named one of the most influential business women in the Indian IT industry. -
Dr. Daniel Korschun
Dr. Daniel Korschun is an associate professor of Marketing at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.His areas of expertise include brand and corporate reputation management, corporate social responsibility, internal marketing, marketing strategy, relationship marketing and country reputation.He is co-author of the book Leveraging Corporate Responsibility: The Stakeholder Route to Business and Social Value (Cambridge University Press). -
Dr. Prakash Bagri
Prakash Bagri is currently Associate Dean – Corporate Engagements & Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business.He has three decades of experience bridging industry and academia, including leadership positions in Unilever and Intel. He has been adjunct/ visiting faculty at the Indian Institutes of Management in Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Calcutta. -
Dr. Madhu Visvanathan
Dr. Madhu Viswanathan is a Senior Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Prior to joining ISB, he worked as an assistant professor at University of Arizona. Professor Viswanathan’s research work focuses on the role of distribution channels, B2B relationships, salesforce compensation and its impact on marketing mix elements like prices and assortments.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Disha Ahluwalia is an archeologist currently pursuing a PhD at MSU Baroda. She has worked as a field archaeologist for a decade including at sites like Binjor, Sinauli and Rakhigarhi.
EXPLORE MORE:
Find out about upcoming sessions and learn how you can join them live and become a part of the conversation - https://www.argumentativeindians.com
Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com
DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKERS:
Amb. Kishan S Rana
Ambassador Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was Ambassador and High Commissioner for Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, and Germany; and consul general in San Francisco. He served on staff of PM Indira Gandhi (1981-82).
Author of the forthcoming book - Churchill, and India: Manipulation Or Betrayal?
Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya
'Sanjoy Bhattacharya is a historian of South Asia in 19th and 20th centuries, and also works on national, international and global health policy analysis. He is current Head of the School of History at the University of Leeds, UK, where he holds the additional role of Professor of Medical and Global Health Histories.'
Dr Madhusree Mukherjee
Madhusree Mukerjee is a writer and journalist. She is the author of The Land of Naked People: Encounters with Stone Age Islanders (2003) and Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II (2010). She is also a contributor to the People's Archive of Rural India and an editor with Scientific American.She documents the role played by the policies, as well as the racial and political worldview, of the war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his trusted friend and advisor Frederick Lindemann, in the death and devastation caused by the Bengal famine of 1943 and the partition of India.
Dr. Mark Tauger
Mark B. Tauger is Associate Professor of History at West Virginia University, USA. In 2016-2017 he was a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He has published on agriculture and famines and has won the Eric Wolf Prize of the Journal of Peasant History and the Wayne D. Rasmussen Award of the Agricultural History Society. He is the author of "Agriculture in World History"
Dr. Tirathankar Roy
Professor of Economic History at Department of Economic History, at the LSE, and the author of India in the World Economy from Antiquity to the Present. He is one of the most influential researchers of the Economic History of South Asia and India, having published over 25 books and numerous articles. His work spans the fields of Economic History, Business History and Social History, particularly studying the effects of British colonialism in India on its economic development. His recent publications include Law and the Economy in Colonial India. The book discusses the diverse influences that shaped British Indian law and shows why it delivered rather poor value to the users.
FURTHER READINGS:
1. https://penguin.co.in/book/churchills... - By Madhusree Mukherjee
2. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2011... - By Dr. Mark Tauger
3.
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
A #policy of No First Use (NFU) of nuclear weapons has long characterised India’s #security doctrine. Official declarations of that policy can be dated back to at least 1994, when the Government of India delivered a non-paper to #pakistan that included, among other things, an agreement on no first use of the nuclear capability. The country’s formal #nuclear doctrine from January 2003 includes a no first use pledge, albeit with caveats. The #Indian #diplomats have often advanced the country’s commitment not to use #nuclearweapons first as a proof of the country being a “responsible” state and thereby a way to resist any pressures to sign any treaties that would affect its #nuclear arsenal. It would seem then, that the NFU is a core element of India’s nuclear weapons posture.
On the other hand, the #NFU commitment has constantly been challenged and reviewed by various quarters, including no less than the Indian leadership. On several occasions, various high-level officials have frequently floated the idea that India should revisit its commitment to such a policy. Indeed, at the very time that the Government announced that it had adopted a formal doctrine, the #nationalsecurity Advisory Board, as it was constituted then, had recommended that the country -
“may consider withdrawing from this commitment as the other nuclear weapons states have not accepted this policy”
Additionally, India is wedged between two nations with territorial ambitions and which maintain a strategic alliance - Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state with no clear doctrine or policy and #China, a world hegemon in waiting with an expanding nuclear arsenal.
In that context, does the No-first-use nuclear policy even make sense for India when looked at from the operational perspective?
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Intriguing temples dedicated to the worship of #yoginis , group #deities symbolising the sacred feminine force, are scattered all over Central and Eastern India, but remained largely unknown and unstudied by scholars till mid-20th century. Even today the beliefs and practices of those who worshiped in these temples remain steeped in mystery.
Who built these temples? Why were they hidden away in forests and deserted areas? Why do they diverge so drastically from the Indian architectural norms? For what sort of powers were the Yoginis worshipped? Is it true that the rituals involved alcohol, blood, and corpses? How prevalent were such beliefs? Were lower caste and tribal people allowed inside these temples? And finally when and why were they abandoned? To answer these and many related questions about the Yoginis we have with us one of the best scholars on this subject.
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Gender is essential in understanding #ancientindia and its utopic claims. While some believe that women had more power and voice in the #ancientera, many also argue that strict caste divisions and patriarchal political structures confined women and led to abuse. To understand the trajectory of gender norms in our nation, and to explore if we've regressed or progressed in terms of gender-based emancipation, it's important to understand what role women played in ancient India, and if they had more autonomy in that era than they do today.
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Recently, several independent outlets reported that the #indianmilitary could be running out of critical weapons and equipment due to imposed restrictions. It was estimated that India would be left critically short of high-performance helicopters by 2026 and combat jets by 2030, amongst other important assets for #nationalsecurity . That claim was further reinforced when, recently, the Indian Army invited the defence industry to offer critical equipment for emergency procurement.
In the two years between August 2020 to August 2022, India promulgated four Positive Indigenisation Lists - defence weapons and equipment, which can not be imported from abroad. With India’s domestic defence industry still nascent, the world’s biggest defence importer isn’t manufacturing enough weapons locally and official rules are blocking imports. Considering that in the last two decades, India has spent close to 54 billion USD on defence related imports, primarily #russianarmy , has India ill-timed its self-reliance mission in the context of global geopolitical realities and the restive borders with China and Pakistan?
That claim may be disputed as India’s efforts to ‘unleash the energy' of the Make-in-India initiative in the defence sector have now begun to show results. In the last five years, India’s defence related exports have grown by a massive 334% and the country now exports to over 75 countries. For the first time, the Indian defence industry now has a global presence as part of the supply chain. The innovation ecosystem developed under the iDEX programme, Make2 and DRDO programmes have garnered global attention. However, India still stands vulnerable during this period of transition, until its domestic industry fully matures as a competent global innovator.
To understand whether “India’s defence import ban is a good move?” eminent experts join Argumentative Indians in a LIVE discussion.
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SYNOPSIS:
The Mahābhārata, originally known as the Jaya Samhita and later as the Bharata Samhita, has been engulfed in a plethora of debates with respect to its nature, age, authorship, and, historicity. The text can be classified as a Smriti, an Itihasa as well as Kavya, consisting of 18 Parvas and over 100,000 verses at present. The puissant stories centered around the internecine battle of Kurukshetra have enraptured the masses over the centuries and have instigated a course of active interpretation and deliberation, especially about the historical occurrence of these events.
The text talks about magical occurrences, legendary creatures, and supernatural weapons, which may lead one to believe that it can be best categorized as mythology. However, the 2013 Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), Prof. Y.S. Rao argued that the Mahābhārata is not a work of mythology, rather it holds historical credibility.
In the past few decades, with technological advancement, several archaeological excavations have been undertaken at places mentioned in the Mahābhārata – Hastinapur, Mathura, Kurukshetra, Bairat; that suggests that these places were inhabited by Painted Grey Ware (PGW) cultures around this time; with marine archaeological explorations also leading to the discovery of the submerged city of Dwarka.
However, archaeology cannot prove or disprove the veracity of epic events as it is best utilized for
uncovering the general patterns of material culture rather than corroborating textual details of literary works.
Some historians have argued that history and mythology need not be diametrically opposed to each other, because history can be understood as a broad term that relates to past events- not only as a result of discovery and interpretation but also as a collection of memory and presentation; on the other hand, mythology revolves around symbolic narratives and metaphors of human experiences. Therefore, both disciplines share similar traits where the narration of human endeavours becomes an area of convergence.
This leads us to question the strict dichotomy between mythology and history that came to the forefront in the era of ‘positivism’ in 19 th century Europe, and subsequently around the world, which emphasized an a posteriori approach driven by objectivity, facts, and evidence.
Here, one has to understand that texts like the Mahābhārata, whose compilation spans from the 3 rd century BCE to the 3 rd century CE, are bound to be affected by changing societal & cultural
circumstances, along with geographical, and religious settings. For instance, the tribal version of the text by the Bhils does not mention the vastra haran (disrobing) of Draupadi. Moreover, given the extensive timespan, what is indeed the original form of the text becomes extremely hard to determine.
Therefore, we at Argumentative Indians call for a dispassionate understanding and interpretation of this recurring debate over the historicity of the Mahābhārata.
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SPEAKER:
Prof. Stephen Dale is an Emeritus Professor of South Asian and Islamic History at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio USA. He has written books on Kerala (Islamic Society on the South Asian Frontier, The Mappilas of Malabar, 1498-1922 , Babur (The Garden of the Eight Paradises, Babur and the Culture of Empire in Centra Asia, Afghanistan and India, 1483-1530, ,The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids and Mughals, The Orange Trees of Marrakesh, Ibn Khaldun and the Science of Man Babur, Timurid Prince and Mughal Emperor.
He first came to India on a Fulbright Teaching grant in 1963, when he met Jawaharlal Nehru along with several other Fulbright grantees. Later he visited India many times, living in Kozhikode, Kerala and Chennai, and traveling in different parts of the country. He was most recently in India in 2020, with his wife, when he spoke on Babur at the Jaipur Literary Festival.
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SYNOPSIS:
We all know the story. From being simply a group of traders in mid-18th century, by the end of it the East India Company goes on to take control over all of India and its vast population. They achieve this despite being very few in numbers. By getting Indians to fight against Indians.
But why did these Indians comply? Not just the soldiers but why did so many Maharajas and Nawabs choose to side with the British? Why did the Indian businesses and tradesmen cooperate? Why did for instance the chivalrous Rajputs instead of fighting the invaders roll out the red carpet?
These questions have long baffled us. Until recently when we came across book the ‘The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company!
SPEAKER:
William Dalrymple is a Delhi-based Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, photographer, broadcaster and critic. He is also one of the co-founders and co-directors of the world's largest writers festival, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival
His books have won numerous awards and prizes, including the Wolfson Prize for History, the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, the Hemingway, the Kapuściński, the Arthur Ross Medal of the US Council on Foreign Relations, the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. He has been five times longlisted and once shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction and was a Finalist for the Cundill Prize for History. The BBC television documentary on his pilgrimage to the source of the river Ganges, 'Shiva's Matted Locks', one of three episodes of his Indian Journeys series, which Dalrymple wrote and presented, won him the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002
His most recent book, published in 2019, is The Anarchy, a history of the Indian Subcontinent during the period from 1739 to 1803, which saw the collapse of the Mughal imperial system, rise of the Maratha imperial confederacy, and the militarisation and rise of power of the East India Company.It was long listed for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019, and short listed for the Duke of Wellington medal for Military History, the Tata Book of the Year (Non-fiction) and the Historical Writers Association Book Award 2020. It was a Finalist for the Cundill Prize for History and won the 2020 Arthur Ross Bronze Medal from the US Council on Foreign Relations.
Link to his podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/empire/id1639561921
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SYNOPSIS:
Much attention has been paid to the ongoing tug-of-war between India and #China. The friction in the ties between the two competing Asian giants became more evident with the #Dokhlam stand-off, advent of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since last year. The persistent Chinese incursions in India’s north – east is also a point of concern. While India is able to resist China’s advances to a degree, it struggles to keep China entirely at bay.
India’s international ambitions make it a natural competitor to China in the region. However, India’s disproportionate economic dependence on China constrains its actions. The #diplomatic interactions between the two nations have yielded negligible results. China being an unpredictable neighbour further creates an atmosphere of mistrust in India. China’s unprecedented rise also shows India a mirror regarding its own limitations to be able to protect and pursue its interests.
Questions are raised about the possibility of India’s rise as a potential #superpower. While India sees China as a rival, China and its military do not pay much attention to India to the point that they underestimate India’s prowess.
This discourse brings us to a decisive juncture that will ascertain India's capacity to be able to counter and balance out China’s dominance in Asian #geopolitics. How can India develop its military, diplomatic and economic strategy to effectively balance out Chinese aggression in the Indo – Pacific, and the growing influence in India’s north-western neighbourhood? What are the alternatives India has if it decides to stop relying on China economically and the possible retaliation that may arise? Either way, there are some difficult choices that India has to make.
Can India really stand up to China? We believe that a balanced discussion on the matter is of paramount importance.
DISCLAIMER : The participants in this event express their independent views and perspectives. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in any way responsible for participants stance, words and comments.
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science at NYU Abu Dhabi. Prior to this, I was an Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale NUS College and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and Assistant Professor of Politics at Princeton University.
books include To Raise a Fallen People: The Nineteenth-Century Origins of Indian Views of the World (Columbia University Press and Juggernaut), The Progressive Maharaja: Sir Madhava Rao’s Hints on the Art and Science of Government (Hurst, Oxford University Press, and Harper Collins), and Secrets and Leaks: The Dilemma of State Secrecy (Princeton University Press).
His research has appeared in journals including the Journal of Political Philosophy, The Journal of Politics, Ethics and International Affairs, and International Affairs, and in numerous edited volumes including The Oxford Handbook on the Indian Constitution and The Oxford Handbook on Indian Foreign Policy. My work has also been featured on media outlets around the world including CNN, BBC, Foreign Affairs, The New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The National.
SYNOPSIS:
As India strides ahead to carve its place as a major global player of the 21st century, one question that confronts us on several occassions is - What kind of global power does India aspire to be? What should be the central tenet of its foreign and military policy? How should it behave as a global force to be reckoned with? Should it be reticent in international affairs or take a more proactive approach? Not many questions have been asked as often or as intensely since India’s opening of the economy in the early 1990s and its corresponding rise as a military and diplomatic force.
Most people tend to mark the beginning of Indian international relations thought to the first prime minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s attempt to build a true non-aligned movement. However, Indian thought did not emerge sui generis after Indian independence. Instead, it was a continuation of the ideas and thought that germinated in the 19th century, amidst a time of great turmoil and flux.
In this discussion on Argumentative Indians, we will strive to explore whether the Indians of the 19th century were indeed Argumentative and whether they laid the foundations for the Argumentative Indians of the 20th and the 21st century.
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
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The global War on Drugs has now been in motion for over 6 decades. In the 1960s-80s, with the UN passing its Single Convention on NarcoticDrugs, and later with the US President calling for an international “all-out offensive” attack against #drugwar the global community came together with rigorous contentions against the production, supply, and possession of drugs. Recent studies by the United Nations and other global think tanks however reveal that the War on Drugs has failed to meet its goals. In data collected by the United Nations, global consumption of #opiates, #cocaine and #marijuana increased by 34.5%, 27%, and 8% respectively, between 1998-2008. A 2018 report by the International #drugpolicy Consortium stated that between 2008 and 2018, drug-related deaths had increased globally by 145%. How should then countries re-evaluate their stance on drug use? Does the war need to be harsher and stricter to penalise the violators and perpetrators of #drugtrade , or would a softer approach towards rehabilitation and decriminalization lead to more positive results? As different countries reassess their response to rampant drug use, overdose deaths, and a spike in imprisonment, what should India’s stance be?
In India, the #ndpsact Act introduced in 1985 is the main legislation against drug use and #trafficking . Section 27 of the Act imposes imprisonment or fine on anyone who’s found guilty of consumption of any narcotic or psychotropic substance, irrespective of the quantity or kind of substance. The penalties for possession of such substances vary depending upon the quantity and type, following a revision of the Act in 2001. Critics argue that the harsh penalties harm personal users and harass small producers more than any bigger trafficking rackets in India. The debate on #narcotics in India has so far been limited to legalising Cannabis in recent years, and conversation on synthetic and chemical-based drugs like cocaine or MDMA continues to largely remain one-sided. Advocates for legalising Cannabis use the natural properties of the drug and its socio-religious sanction as an important factor in its legalization. Bhaang is already legal in many Indian states, and marijuana use is already prevalent in even well-monitored religious events like the Kumbh Mela or Kanwad Yatras. It would also support the creation of more jobs and would lead to an economic boost through increased taxation, and benefit the small farmers and businesses that could legally be regulated for production and supply. The #ncb however warns against these “surface-level” benefits. Cannabis-induced psychosis, frequent relapses in cannabis addicts and the economic repercussions on marginalised consumers are some reasons expressed by the NCB to continue their suppression of the recreational use of this drug.
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SYNOPSIS:
Tibet remains a key factor in Indo-China relations. After the Chinese occupation of #tibet in 1950, India and China came to share the now disputed common border. In recent years, with China's extensive military buildup and massive environmental exploitation of Tibet, as well as reported intentions to divert or dam rivers that rise in Tibet and flow into India, Indian anxieties have only worsened. On the other hand, the Chinese approach is largely driven by its insecurity surrounding the presence of His Holiness the 14th #dalailama and around a lakh strong community of #Tibetans -in-exile in India.
The Government of India’s official stance that
“The Dalai Lama is an honored guest and a respected religious leader with a large following in India” and that “The Dalai Lama is “accorded all due courtesies and freedom to conduct religious and spiritual activities in India”
has so far failed to assuage Chinese concerns. The hardened #chinese stance is evidenced by the fact that even a mere public acknowledgment of the apex Tibetan religious and spiritual leader by any section of the Indian Administration is construed as an infringement on Chinese sovereignty. Conversely, India too has adopted a more hardened stance owing to China's aggressive territorial claims on India, the deepening of the China-Pakistan friendship’ and a shift in China's position viz-a-viz the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Amidst all of this, are the Tibetans-in-exile in India, largely ignored by the world press but a thorn in China's eyes. . Consequently, the Tibetans in India have minimal access to social services and are ineligible for government jobs or welfare schemes. If this rapid emigration continues, what will remain of the Tibetan community in India, the country which the Dalai Lama made his home?
The Chinese policy of ‘#onenation , one party, one language, one culture has been dismissive of the Tibetan identity. China has also been attempting to interfere in choosing the successor of Dalai Lama with their pro-China candidate. To counter this, the US passed legislation in 2020, allowing Tibetans to choose the successor of the Dalai Lama without any external influence. India, on the other hand, has been deeply respectful of the historical linkages with Tibet. History stands testimony to the fact that as parts of the Indian subcontinent were being invaded and the Hindu civilization was obliterated by the barbaric attackers, many seers, gurus, and spiritual masters took refuge in the safety and solitude of Tibet, allowing both Hindu and Buddhist thought and literature to survive and flourish. Fast forward to the 21st century and India is now the safe haven for Tibetans. However, with no end in sight, the question remains - Has the global leadership lost its moral compass in the face of naked Chinese might or is there some hope left for the Tibetans in exile?
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SYNOPSIS:
Blasphemy is any offense to religious sentiments. Globally, 79 countries have laws penalising blasphemy, ranging from secular states (like Canada, Finland, and Germany) to countries with a state religion (like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia). In secular democratic countries, while these laws protect the rights of minority religious communities and attempt to preserve social harmony, they are heavily criticised on the grounds of being unconstitutional and obtrusive to the right to freedom of speech. Critics also believe that these laws are counterproductive and instead push society to be more intolerant of alternative ideas and belief systems, making the very foundations of religious and moral beliefs more fragile and insecure. Religious reform and social change against draconian religious practices could only be possible because of staunch criticism. Poets, philosophers, authors and even scientists and discoverers who have been persecuted in the past on grounds of blasphemy enjoy popular credibility today for their contributions.
Merits of religious criticism do not however disregard the potential risk to social harmony and possible validation of hostile behavior veiled under the garb of critique. What makes matters more complicated is the active rise in interreligious and inter-sect hatred and access to platforms to express opinions publicly that could potentially be provocative, aggressive, and hurtful to the sentiments of members of certain groups. The Indian constitution in its Article 19(2) provides for “reasonable restrictions” on the freedom of speech to precisely avoid and curb such intentioned violence. Article 295A punishes “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs”. Though India does not have explicit Blasphemy Laws, critics believe that free speech and radical thought is repeatedly impeded in India by invoking these two provisions in the constitution, making it a covert Blasphemy Law. Incarceration of religious minorities and instances of mob violence, lynching and vigilante justice surface up repeatedly in the name of religious blasphemy.
International organizations like the UNHRC and ICCPR have repeatedly questioned the degree to which blasphemy laws are compliant with fundamental human rights. How should then countries navigate between blasphemy, heresy, and hate speech? Is it justified to trade some part of individual freedom for an attempt at social peace? Does criminalisation of religious criticism protect the faith-holders or does it further create instability in the society? Should Blasphemy be punished?
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SYNOPSIS:
“The causes of #climatechange are clear. Developed countries have appropriated the Earth’s atmospheric space by emitting the vast majority of historical #greenhouse gas emissions, while they only represent 20% of the world’s population...The way to solve the #climatecrisis in a fair, effective, and scientifically sound way is to honor #climatedebt .”
This statement from the Universal Declaration for the Rights of Mother Earth, drafted at the People’s Conference and hosted by former Bolivian President Evo Morales, echoes what has been a subject of discussion globally - Are the poor, developing and vulnerable nations owed climate reparations by the developed west?
As climate change impacts accelerate, it can be expected that the costs and burdens of climate change will disproportionately impact those who have been rendered most vulnerable given the accumulated weight of history. Amongst the two facets of #climatejustice - redistribution and corrective justice, the latter has been met with much opposition by the Global North. The developing countries argue that the rich nations, owing to historical opportunities, have had the lion’s share in using resources to pursue economic growth and thereby contribute to unchecked global pollution. And thus, they have an obligation, not least to provide compensation for the high costs that #globalwarming warming and climate change have already imposed on the developing and vulnerable nations.
However, the Global North has consistently dismissed the suggestion, with the notion that the corrective justice argument conflates current generations with past generations. Another counterargument is that a full accounting of all the historical benefits accrued to the poor and developing countries due to the developed Global North may paint a completely different picture.
While the proposed Green Climate Fund with its ambitious goals is yet to fully take off, time is running out for those who are positioned at the forefront against climate change. Urgent corrective action - reparations and restitution may well be the last hope for many threatened and vulnerable communities worldwide. Will the global leadership forge a consensus on the way ahead or will the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’ remain limited to just lip service?
SPEAKERS:
1.Dr. Navroz K Dubash:
Professor at the Centre for Policy Research, where he conducts research and writes on climate change, energy, air pollution, water policy, and the politics of regulation in the developing world.
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Dr. Benoit Mayer
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK LAW). -
Joe Thwaites
International Climate Finance Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. -
Esther Stanford-Xosei
Reparationist, Jurisconsult, Community Advocate, Educator, and an emerging Ourstorian of the International Social Movement for Afrikan Reparations. -
Stuti Mishra
India correspondent for The Independent with a special focus on the climate crisis and economy.
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Devdutt Pattanaik writes on relevance of mythology in modern times. He is also a speaker, illustrator and author, on Hindu sacred lore, legends, folklore, fables and parables. He has written books on the relevance of sacred stories, symbols and rituals. His more popular books include Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology; Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata; and Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana and My Gita.
SYNOPSIS:
The recent political storm over MP Mahua Moitra’s comments on Kali soon followed by another political controversy around The Week magazine publishing on its cover a 200 year old Kangra painting of shiva & #Kali brought the national attention on the many varied ways in which the goddess is imagined, understood and worshipped across the subcontinent.
To some she is a loving mother, to some a ferocious warrior #goddess . She is associated with cremation grounds and believed to symbolise death. And yet she also represents the creation of life and the universe. Some believe she is the manifestation of the ultimate reality, the “#brahman ”. Then there are those who see in her a rule-breaking feminist icon.
Even the #ancientindia texts don’t seem to agree. At one end we are told that she emerged from Shiva to slay the demons and on the other she is herself “#adishakti ”, the supreme power.
Literature tells us that she is timeless and formless. Yet the visual depictions of her form have evoked awe, horror and reverence among millions for centuries.
While in many parts of India her worship still involves liquor or meat or blood, to vast swathes of Indians unaware of this, even the mention of such substances in association with the #devi is nothing less than sacrilege.
Today we have invited one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Indian #mythology to help us unravel the perplexing iconography, legends and practices associated with the ever more intriguing goddess Kali!
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Sharif is an author; communications consultant; a curator focused on diversity, inclusion, music and arts, and a singer – songwriter. With over 25 years of experience in the fields of media, publishing, research and public relations, he uses talks, writing, event curation and music, to advocate change and garner support for the LGBTQ+ community. The various hats he wears and the roles he plays, led him to create the Rainbow Lit Fest – Queer & Inclusive, of which he is the Festival Director. He is also the curator of Embrace: Music Justice Arts and the frontman of the band – Friends of Linger. His book, Straight to Normal – My Life As A Gay Man, released early 2019, is amongst the few queer memoirs out of India and the first since the reading down of Section 377
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SPEAKER:
Miguel is the Founder of UTSAH, a prominent Child Rights agency based in Assam, in North-East India. Miguel is the youngest Member of the Kamrup Metropolitan Child Labour Task Force Committee and Child Protection Committee of the Government of Assam. He is the Government appointed Support Person to survivors of child sexual abuse in Assam. Miguel plays a crucial role in regional and national consultative and policy-making processes on children's rights.
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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
SPEAKER:
Shivshankar Menon is an Indian diplomat, who served as National Security Adviser of India under Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. He had previously served as the Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Prior to that he was Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and ambassador to China and Israel. He is currently Visiting Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University. A major milestone of his career was the Indo-US nuclear deal, for which he had worked hard to convince NSG member nations along with Shyam Saran to get a clean waiver for nuclear supplies to India. Author of "Choices: Inside the Making of India's Foreign Policy" and "India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present"
SYNOPSIS:
I would describe the current situation as work in progress, obviously at a slower pace than desirable” - this statement by Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar after meeting with Chinese FM Wang Yi earlier this year encapsulates the #Sino-Indian relations.
60 years since the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962, the key areas of friction and disputes remain unresolved. What has changed though is #china ’s standing – she is seen no longer just as a regional hegemon but a global #superpower .
China’s meteoric #economic rise and soaring #military might has empowered her to adopt an increasingly confrontational #foreignpolicy . In recent years she has taken a much more aggressive attitude in defending its claims (over Japan, Korera, Phillipines), bullied International organizations and corporations into not recognizing #taiwan as a country, cavalierly dismissed western condemnation of its anti-democratic policies in #hongkong and gross violations of human rights in #xinjiang and #tibet . The border with India that had been peaceful for decades despite the disagreements has now become militarized.
All of this together is generally interpreted as China’s attempts to reshape the global order. Is China likely to succeed in its attempts and turn the 21st century into what many have already started calling as the “Chinese Century”? If yes, what is this China-dominated world likely to look like and would it allow enough room for India to thrive and pursue its strategic goals? On the other hand, if China fails on its own accord or is stifled by the western alliance, what would it mean for India to have an extremely powerful and disgruntled neighbour to its north that sees India as one its adversaries?
china #indochinese #indochinafaceoff #indochinaborder #foreignpolicy #masterclass #lecture #indiachinatalks #indiandiplomacy #politics #nationalsecurity #shivshankarmenon
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians do not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in any way responsible for the stance, words, and comments of our guests.
SYNOPSIS:
Several #humanrights organisations including #amnestyinternational which released the report- ‘Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: a Cruel System of Domination and a Crime Against Humanity’ have concluded that Israel’s governance of occupied #palestinian territory amounts to the crime of #apartheid under international law.
israel has been accused of considering the #palestinians as a demographic threat and imposing measures to control and decrease their presence and access to land in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Critics say that these demographic aims are well illustrated by official plans to “Judaize” areas of Israel and the #westbank , including East #jerusalem , which continue to put thousands of Palestinians at risk of forcible transfer.
Israel has also been accused of running a campaign of ‘Oppression without borders’ and treating the Palestinians as ‘lesser citizens’ through codified laws and statutes.
However, Israel and her partner allies have vehemently refuted these accusations. Pro-Israel voices defend saying that Israel is a multi-racial and multi-coloured society and the #arabminority actively participates in the political process. Incitement to racism in Israel is a criminal offence, as is discrimination on the basis of race or religion.
Pro-Israel voices also point to the fact that there isn’t a single Jewish community living anywhere under Palestinian control. This isn’t because of #jewish preferences. Jewish communities exist across the world; they would certainly exist 10 minutes from Jerusalem if it weren’t for the Palestinian Authority’s policies of excluding Jews and inciting violence and prejudice against them. Palestinian law makes selling land to Jews a crime punishable by death, often without trial. Nor does the authority recognize any Jewish titles to private property. In Israel, by contrast, assert its supporters, Arabs enjoy full property rights, enforced by the courts.
SPEAKERS:
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Akshaya Kumar -
Akshaya Kumar is the Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch. She oversees the organization’s advocacy response to emergencies and develops innovative strategies to respond to evolving crises. Kumar joined HRW as Deputy United Nations Director in 2015 and represented the organization at UN headquarters in New York for four years. She previously worked at the Enough Project where she helped launch The Sentry, an initiative that seeks to freeze war criminals out of the international financial system. -
Itamar Marcus
Itamar Marcus is a researcher and the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch. which studies Palestinian society by monitoring and analyzing the Palestinian Authority (PA) through its media and schoolbooks. His work on textbooks led Benyamin Netanyahu to appoint Marcus to represent his country in the negotiations with the Palestinians on inciteme -
Abhijit Iyer Mitra #abhijitiyermitra
His primary research is on limited wars and nuclear thresholds, but his interests include, military transformation, defence planning, procurement and offsets, infrastructure, governance and Historical Patterns of Conflict in Democracies.He is a Programme Coordinator at the Observer Research Foundation, N
SPEAKER:
Dr. Richard Alba is an American sociologist, who is a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center, CUNY.He is known for developing assimilation theory to fit the contemporary, multi-racial era of immigration, with studies in America, France, and Germany. Alba's text on assimilation theory (written with Victor Nee), Remaking the American Mainstream (2003) won the Thomas & Znaniecki Award of the American Sociological Association and the Eastern Sociological Society’s Mirra Komarovsky Award. It was the 36th most-cited work in sociology between 2008 and 2012. Author of "Ethnic Identity: The Transformation of White America" (1990), summarizes his thinking on the assimilation of the so-called white ethnics. His "Blurring the Color Line: The New Chance for a More Integrated America" (2009) applied these ideas to non-white Americans. His latest book is "The Great Demographic Illusion: Majority, Minority, and the Expanding American Mainstream".
Demographic change and assimilation in the early 21st century
United States - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lKuk...
SYNOPSIS:
While many conspiracy theories are short-lived, there are some that never seem to die, no matter how much contrary evidence is furnished. We have all heard of the holocaust deniers or those who consider climate change to be a hoax or those who insist that the moon landings were fake. Another such theory is that of the ‘Great Replacement’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_R...) that is centred around an elite conspiracy to replace the white population of America with non-whites. While the term itself may be new, the ideas behind this theory have persisted for a long time. In the highly influential book ‘The Passing of the Great Race’ published in 1916, Madison Grant had called whites as an “endangered species”.
The 2020 US Census report came as a confirmation for many adherents of this theory. It revealed that people who identify as “White alone” declined for the first time since the Census began in 1790. Yet more disturbingly for them, majority of Americans under 18 are now people of colour.
Anxieties about the future of the white race are expressed repeatedly by demagogic politicians and popular talkshow hosts, and are further amplified by social media. The Great Replacement Theory has been linked to several mass shootings over the last decade.
We at Argumentative Indians would like to understand what drives this theory, what makes it so prevalent and why has it proved to be so resilient? And finally, is there any truth to it?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from
SPEAKER
Dr. Khinvraj Jangid is Associate Professor & Director at Centre for Israel Studies, OP Jindal Global University, Delhi. He is leading new research comparing India and Israel through their ideas of nation-building and statehood in post-colonial Asia.
SYNOPSIS
India and Israel present fascinating case study of democracies in deeply divided societies, nationalism and universalism, religion and liberal/secularism polity. Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and David Ben-Gurion had much in common than acknowledged thus far.
DISCLAIMER
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
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SPEAKER
Dr. Khinvraj Jangid is Associate Professor & Director at Centre for Israel Studies, OP Jindal Global University, Delhi. He is leading new research comparing India and Israel through their ideas of nation-building and statehood in post-colonial Asia.
SYNOPSIS
India and Israel present fascinating case study of democracies in deeply divided societies, nationalism and universalism, religion and liberal/secularism polity. Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and David Ben-Gurion had much in common than acknowledged thus far.
DISCLAIMER
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
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Find out about upcoming sessions and learn how you can join them live and become a part of the conversation - https://www.argumentativeindians.com
Dr. Khinvraj Jangid is Associate Professor & Director at Centre for Israel Studies, OP Jindal Global University, Delhi. He is leading new research comparing India and Israel through their ideas of nation-building and statehood in post-colonial Asia.
SYNOPSIS
India and Israel present fascinating case study of democracies in deeply divided societies, nationalism and universalism, religion and liberal/secularism polity. Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and David Ben-Gurion had much in common than acknowledged thus far.
DISCLAIMER
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
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PANELISTS
Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed #DrIshtiaqahmed @Ishtiaqahmed
Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Stockholm University and Author. He is the Editor-in-General of the "Liberal Arts & Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ)".
Dr. Sucheta Mahajan #Drsuchetamahajan
Professor & Former Chairperson, Center For Historical Studies, JNU. Her publications include Towards Freedom: Documents on India's Freedom Struggle, 1947, parts one and two (editor), 2013 and 2015; Independence and Partition: The Erosion of Colonial Power in India (2000) and India's Struggle for Independence (with Bipan Chandra et al),1988.
Dr. Masood Ashraf Raja #Masoodashrafraja @Postcolonialism
Associate professor of postcolonial literature and theory at the University of North Texas. He is the editor of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies, an open access journal that he founded in 2009.
Sudheendra Kulkarni #sudheendrakulkarni
Indian politician, Socio-Political Activist, Author and columnist. Author of "MUSIC OF THE SPINNING WHEEL: Mahatma Gandhi's Manifesto for the Internet Age".
Abhijit Chavda #abhijitchavda #askabhijit @abhijitchavda
Founder & Host of, The Abhijit Chavda Podcast. He is also a writer and researcher of history and geopolitics. Abhijit writes articles for several publications including Swarajya, IndiaFacts, MyNation, the Deccan Chronicle and the Asian Age.
SYNOPSIS:
The #Partition of India was one of the most tragic events experienced by humanity in modern times. It is estimated that one million people were killed and 12 million made homeless. Painful loss of family members and loved ones to mindless violence have left the collective memories scarred on both sides of the border created by the Partition.
Even as we approach 75 years since this momentous event people have never ceased wondering and questioning ‘what if’. The reasons that led to the Partition and its very legitimacy continue to remain highly contested. While many accuse #independenceleaders such as #Gandhi and #Nehru, others lay the blame squarely on #British connivance and yet others trace the seeds of division in the birth of the #MuslimLeague. The defenders of each side claim their powerlessness in the face of the inevitable Partition. But was it really inevitable?
DISCLAIMER
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
Voices seeking rewriting of #IndianHistory are not new. For decades there have been myriad groups expressing their discontent with the mainstream history as it is taught in Indian schools and universities. Some of the most repeated criticisms include under-appreciation of ancient Indian achievements, exploitative portrayal of #caste, undue importance to #Mughals and neglect of those who resisted them, Delhi-centric narrative and oversight of histories of #Kashmir, North-East and South India, romanticisation of #precolonial inter-communal relations, airbrushing of #British atrocities and disproportionate importance to #Gandhi and #Congress leaders in the freedom struggle at the expense of revolutionaries such as #Bose and #Savarkar.
In the last few years these voices have become increasingly louder with the rise of social media and ideological state support. A strong impetus came two years ago when India’s home minister, Amit Shah called upon historians to re-write history.
Yet for many professional historians such demands are puzzling, as they seem to suggest that Indian history was some sort of a static gospel. They point out that history writing is a continuous process. New research and re-examination of available evidence are always underway. This however has failed to assuage the critics who allege a systemic bias in Academia resulting in what they view as “distorted history”.
Prostitution has been an age old trend in the Indian society and no one can today can even find out the approximate date from when this profession came into existence. It is claimed that it has been a part of our society even before Christ came into existence. Though surprising, it is still true that prostitution has still not got any specific legal recognition in our country. One can say it is neither legal nor illegal in the country.
To look at this issue from different views, we have brought a group of reputed experts, activists, academicians and psychologists with direct experience. Organizations involved at the grassroots levels such as Kranti, Kat-Katha and MSC will be putting forth their view on the matter.
We firmly believe it is critical to include the perspectives of sex workers themselves. The President of National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) and one of the members of Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad (VAMP) will be representing the voice of the sex workers.
Explore More - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROL4M2k_nSM&t=174s
SPEAKER:
Dr. Timothy Lynch, Professor in American Politics and the Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. In 2022, he will be the Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Wyoming, researching 'red state' foreign policy. Author of in the Shadow of the Cold War: American Foreign Policy from George Bush Sr. to Donald Trump.
SYNOPSIS:
Every day we come across numerous articles and political commentaries asserting that America is in decline. Terms like the “new world order”, referring to a world where United States is no longer the sole hegemon, have become ubiquitous. Foreign policy wonks churn out reports on how their nations should prepare for the imminent bipolar world or multipolar world.
For those on the political Right, US has gone too far from its roots chasing political correctness and this has precipitated its fall. And for those on the Left, America’s prestige and authority have waned due to its inability to conform to its own values of equality and justice for all, as evident from the extreme inequality and endemic racism. Either side foretells America’s diminishing global stature.
Prophesies of American Decline are not new. The rise of Soviet Union, collapse of Breton Woods, Japan’s economic success, Sep 11, America’s war on terror, the global financial crisis, and now the China challenge…. All have been at some point claimed to be the harbinger of America’s end.
Naturally such predictions have never come to much. United States remains the most powerful nation economically, militarily and culturally. But just because the declinists were wrong in the past, does not mean that US would reign supreme forever. The gap between the US and other powers has narrowed considerably. Is this time really different? Are we witnessing the decline of America?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
The world is becoming increasingly gender-neutral. Most of Europe and North America and even Asian countries such as South Korea, Bhutan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have enacted gender-neutral laws. Under #genderneutral laws, all genders are equal in the eyes of law. Is India ready to follow suit?
As the #Metoo movement gathered pace in India, it was not just female victims who rose to speak up against sexual violence. The #Indianlaw assumes that only women can be victims of sexual crimes, and men can only be the perpetrators. When it comes to domestic violence, workplace harassment, stalking, voyeurism and rape, our laws do not see men as being at the receiving end. However, this is far from the reality. Thousands of men are subjected to gender-based violence each year, but in the absence of explicit laws to protect them, they are forced into a helpless silence.
Article14 of the Indian Constitution grants equal protection under law, so shouldn’t all victims have access to justice irrespective of their gender? As many legal experts have pointed, crime has no gender, so shouldn’t the law of the land be applied equally to all genders?
Some worry that such changes would ignore the power differentials deeply entrenched in our society and would roll back decades of progress made by women’s rights groups. Yet others argue that it is impossible to frame laws that are gender-neutral in a country with such varied personal laws. Moreover, with a lack of #socialawareness around the matter, India might not be ready for such disruptive changes.
Would introducing gender neutral laws further tip the balance of power towards men? And does that risk justify depriving thousands of male victims of all recourse to justice? This is a complex subject, largely overlooked by the mainstream media.
We believe it is high time we bring it out from under the carpet and have an informed discussion on it.
SPEAKER:
Parvati Sharma
Parvati Sharma. Acclaimed Indian author, best known for her unconventional narrative biographies, among which the latest is Akbar of Hindustan.
SYNOPSIS:
Akbar is usually presented as a beacon of tolerance. His philosophy of “Sulh-I-Kul” or universal peace seems far-sighted and rather astonishing if we consider the times he lived in. Times when Elizabethan England was zealously persecuting Catholics, Huguenots were getting massacred in France and the infamous Inquisition was torturing “heretics” not just in Spain and Portugal but across their vast empires in America, Africa and Asia. Freedom of religion had not yet been conceived as a value much less articulated and enshrined among state objectives anywhere in the world.
The ethos of pluralism and tolerance pioneered by Akbar served his empire well long after he had passed away.
Now in 21st century as religious differences are once again beginning to tear at India’s social fabric, can we look to Akbar’s India as a role-model for our multicultural society? Can Akbar be upheld as an icon for a cohesive India?
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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
We take immense pride in #India’s unique and glorious #history, and yet the unfortunate irony is that most of the best relics of this history are scattered across museums and private collections far away from India. The large scale looting of India by British colonisers deprived it of tens of thousands of priceless artworks among so much else.
Even as India approaches 75 years of #independence and claims to have arrived as a major political and economic power on the world stage, surprisingly there is little to no national discussion about restoring our vast stolen heritage. In recent years a few volunteer-based independent initiatives have emerged working towards building a moral case for restitution of Indian #artefacts. They argue that “History belongs to Geography”, and it is wrong for the #heritage of #Indian people to be located elsewhere.
While their efforts have been quite successful in bringing back many important #antiquities smuggled out of India post independence, the national museums of UK and many other western countries have flatly refused to return art objects plundered during the colonial period. Arguments range from the futility of correcting historical wrongs to the inability of India in protecting and preserving precious art. Some Indian scholars also support this view pointing to the apathy of the Indian government and broader society towards #art. They highlight the dismal condition of most of India’s resource-starved museums and the poor treatment meted out to many of the recovered artworks. But does India’s alleged incompetence in looking after its heritage entitle others to own it? Are Indian #artworks really better off in international #museums?
Panelists -
- Prof. Jyotindra Jain - #jyotindrajain
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Jyotindra Jain is an Indian art and cultural historian, and museologist.
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A scholar on folk and ritual arts of India, he was the Director of the National Crafts Museum, New Delhi and Member Secretary and Professor (Cultural Archives), at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.
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Anurag Saxena - #anuragsaxena #indiaprideproject
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Anuraag Saxena is an Indian activist, author and commentator and the Regional CEO with World Education Foundation.
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He is a founder of the India Pride Project, a volunteer effort to return to India archaeological artifacts taken out during the colonial period.
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Dr. Naman Ahuja - #drnamanahuja
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Dr. Naman P. Ahuja is an art historian and curator and Professor of Indian Art and Architecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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His research and graduate teaching focus on Indian iconography and sculpture, temple architecture and Sultanate-period painting.
With the central government increasing its hold over the states in administrative, financial, and legislative domains, experts warn against the steady dilution of federalism and its multifold consequences. When it comes to financial matters, they contend that "one nation one tax" under the GST regime has made states heavily dependent on the Centre for release of dues.
In law-making, every second bill proposed by parliament is opposed by the states as encroaching on state subjects, for instance, the contentious farmers laws, dam safety law; the list goes on. During the pandemic, states complained the directions issued by the Central government made the states appear as subordinate partners. Many fear that federal space shrunk to the detriment of the constituent states.
On the other hand, supporters of a strong Central government defend this 'asymmetrical federalism', by stating that only a strong Centre can ensure political stability, and not cave into polarising and secessionist forces. Moreover, because of India's massive cultural heterogeneity and threats to national security, proponents deem this arrangement as necessary for the very survival of the nation.
What do such Centre-state entanglements say about India's federalism? And what should we be batting for - a more federalised structure or a stronger Centre?
DISCLAIMER
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
PANELISTS:
Mr. N K Singh
Seasoned bureaucrat, Leading Economist, Prominent Politician - Bhartiya Janta Party, Former member of Rajya Sabha, and presently the head of 15th Finance Commission of India. Formerly, he was a member of the Planning Commission and handled assignments of Union Expenditure and Revenue Secretary. He was also an Officer on Special Duty to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mr. Praveen Chakravarty
Eminent Political Economist, Leading Columnist, Chairman of the Data Analytics department, and Senior Office Bearer, Indian National Congress. He has co-authored with former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and many others. He has served in the Unique Identity Project (Aadhaar) and in the National Skills Development Agency.
Ms. Avani Kapur
Lead, Accountability Initiative, working towards Responsive Governance and Fellow, Centre for Policy Research. She leads research studies on fiscal federalism, health, nutrition, sanitation, and education financing.
Dr. Niranjan Sahoo
Senior Fellow, Governance and Politics Initiative, ORF and South Asia member for the Carnegie Rising Democracies Network. He writes on governance reforms, federalism, decentralisation, service delivery, electoral reforms, democracy, human rights, insurgencies, affirmative action and social exclusion.
Dr. Wilfried Swenden- Senior Professor of Indian and South Asian Politics, University of Edinburgh, and foremost expert on multi-level governance and federalism. He co-convened the ECPR Standing Group on Federalism and Regionalism, the largest European network in the field of territorial politics and he was also Vice-Chair of IPSA RC28, Research Committee on Comparative Federalism and Multi-Level Governance, International Political Science Association.
India’s increasing closeness with the US and joining the QUAD (an informal forum for cooperation with US, Japan and Australia ostensibly to contain China) is viewed with optimism in India, but has come at the expense of straining India’s age old relationship with Russia, which has not kept its displeasure a secret. At the same time India’s decision to buy Russia’s S-400 air defence despite repeated warnings of sanctions from the US is testing the limits of the new-found warmness between the two democracies.
India hopes to grow its strategic partnership with the US, while at the same time retaining its special relationship with Russia. But as US-Russia ties revert to Cold War hostility, will India be able to maintain this delicate balance or will it be forced to choose (once again) one over the other? And who will India choose - the longtime steadfast friend or the new wealthy suitor?
PANELISTS:
Amb. Ashok Sajjanhar (@asajjanhar)
- Served as India’s ambassador to Sweden, Latvia and Kazakhstan
- And is currently the president of Institute of Global Studies
Maj Gen PC Kharbanda
- Veteran of 1971 Indo-Pak war
- He is a senior fellow at CLAWS - Centre for Land Warfare Studies
Emily Tamkin (@emilycttamkin)
- Well-known American Journalist
- US Editor of New Statesman
Brig. Pradeep Sharma (@BrigPradeep)
- Over 35 years of active military experience
- Well-known speaker on contemporary topics of National Security and Counter Terrorism
Commander Dr. Shishir Upadhyaya (@Shishir6)
- Associate Professor & Associate Dean, Jindal School of International Affairs
- Former defence intelligence officer with vast experience in Indian Navy
- Author of 'India’s Maritime Strategy-Balancing Regional Ambitions and China'
russiaukraineconflict #ukrainewar #geopolitics #diplomacy #russia #ukrainewar #ukrainerussiacrisis
We routinely hear media pundits and celebrities vocalise the popular notion that reservations have encouraged an environment of “mediocrity”. Middle-class Indians frequently lament about the unfairness of the reservation policy and attribute to it a litany of perceived national problems ranging from inefficiency of India’s bureaucracy to poor quality of its medical services to the incompetence of its engineering graduates.
A nation that persistently compromises on “merit” cannot compete at the global level. This is the argument of many members of India’s prestigious IITs and IIMs, who insist that they are “institutes of excellence” and hence must be exempted from reservations. They explain the lack of representation of minorities and OBCs in their faculty by emphasising the focus on “merit” in their selection.
There is widespread support for the view that “merit” should be the sole selection yardstick for access to top schools and jobs. Proponents of this caste-blind approach insist that it is the only way for India to break out of the shackles of the centuries old pernicious caste-divisions. By designating certain castes as “backward”, we are perpetuating the existing distinctions on the basis of caste.
If the aim of reservations is to make up for socio-economic differences, then those differences should be basis of the reservation policy, not caste. This would help end the continued presence of caste in public discourse and allow more targeted allocation of reservation benefits to those who actually “deserve” them, as opposed to the “creamy layer” among the oppressed castes, who tend to be repeated beneficiaries of India’s affirmative action policies.
Further the historically privileged classes cannot be expected to atone for the sins of their ancestors till perpetuity. Reservation policies have been in force for over 70 years and even longer in some parts of India. Generations of students and job applicants have experienced utter frustration at seeing their hard earned positions being denied to them and allocated to those who scored less than them in competitive exams. Isn’t this reverse discrimination?
SPEAKER
Sagarika Ghose has been a journalist for over three decades, starting her career with The Times of India, subsequently moving to Outlook magazine and The Indian Express. She has been a primetime news anchor and has also worked as Consulting Editor, The Times Of India. She is also a political commentator on the news channel ET Now. Ghose is the author of the best selling biography of Indira Gandhi, "Indira, India's Most Powerful Prime Minister." She is the author of the recently published theoretical work, “Why I Am A Liberal”
Chandrachur Ghose
An author, researcher and commentator on history, economics and environment. Ghose has also co-authored Conundrum: Subhas Bose’s Life After Death, which features among the bestsellers in Amazon. Ghose is one of the founders of the pressure group Mission Netaji that has been the moving force behind the declassification of secret documents related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. His activism led to the declassification of over ten thousand pages in 2010.
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Almost 200 years after being outlawed, the practice of Sati still looms large over every academic discourse about Hindu philosophy and customs. It remains a potent symbol of deep-rooted patriarchy and cultural misogyny of pre-modern India. Time and again the banning of Sati has been invoked to argue that British colonialism helped bring a regressive Indian society out of the dark ages. Even for contemporary Indians, who are proud of their heritage and culture, Sati Partha poses a strange predicament. How did a civilisation so advanced in science and philosophy, that produced great thinkers through the ages such as Mahavira, Gautam Buddha, Kabir Das, Adi Shankara, and many more oddly remained comfortable with a practice so barbarous? With so many glorious periods under numerous Indian dynasties from Guptas to Vijayanagara, Mughals to Marathas, why did India need a foreign mercantilist power to ultimately put an end to this cruel and inhuman custom?
It is important to address these questions as they play a key role in how we Indians see ourselves as a people. Were our ancestors really as backward and superstitious as we are told? And did India really need the enlightened Victorians to free her from its social evils?
There is a widely-held view that places of learning should remain ‘free of politics’ and hence academics should stay politically neutral. Usually neutrality implies academic silence in political debates, which can sometimes have immense social, economic, environmental and public health consequences. The advocates of this neutrality argue that it’s the best course to ensure no section of students is alienated and their education is not compromised.
But can places of learning remain ‘free of politics’ when what they teach is itself determined by political instead of academic considerations? In Indian universities from the textbooks to the curriculum to the policies for selecting faculty to the code of conduct for students - everything is political and ideologically-informed.
Dante, the famous Italian poet, writer and philosopher once said “the darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” Should a professor of Science remain neutral when a government-backed quack denounces modern medicine in the midst of a pandemic? Is it possible for professors of History to not take a stand on the growing demands from India’s far right to revise history? Can a professor of Constitutional Law remain silent in the face of the current Hijab row? Should a professor of international relations not share his opinion if Russia invades Ukraine?
And more importantly, is silence in the face of political upheaval and social turbulence still neutral? These are some of the questions posed by those who root for academics to openly air their views. However, in today’s hyper-polarized political climate speaking up can have serious consequences. It may entangle an academic in a public controversy they are not equipped at navigating. Further it could alienate some of their students and coworkers. At best it may prove to be a temporary distraction from their research and teaching, and at worst it may result in highly adverse life-changing career outcomes. Many are therefore reluctant to intervene even when they have valuable information and well founded opinions to contribute to a debate.
But is the job of academics only to prepare students to pass exams, obtain degrees and become employable? Do they not have a bigger role to play in society? Especially as we witness rampant misinformation and general confusion should it not be a moral and professional obligation for academics to speak up and not leave the important political discourse “to those who benefit from it”?
The debate around the burqa (or its variants) is neither new nor confined to India. Almost every multi-religious society has had to deal with it at some point or another. For a topic that has been and still continues to remain contested everywhere from Sweden to Syria, it is unfortunate that the awareness and understanding among people is very limited. The advocates of #hijab-ban or #burqa-ban are outraged at liberals and feminists defending what they see as an overt symbol of female oppression, and those arguing against such bans point to religious prejudice instead of women emancipation driving such demands. In the cantakerous public discourse, the voices of the actual burqa-clad women remain as concealed as their faces. For one side, they are socially conditioned victims of a centuries old barbaric custom, who need to be rescued by the state. For the other side, they are women who confidently exercise their agency in choosing how they dress, and any state intervention would be the real oppression. Interestingly, everyone claims to be on the side of #secularism. Those calling for bans, do so in the spirit of equality and uniformity across all religions. And those pushing back do so for the sake of keeping public spaces inclusive of all religions. From Switzerland to Sri Lanka, Public Pressure, Domestic Politics and Constitutional Constraints, unique to each country, have resulted in them taking very different paths on the question of the Islamic veil. Have any lessons been learnt? Is it possible to examine the place of the Islamic veil in a modern secular #democracy without the overpowering rhetoric and #political undercurrents that almost always accompany it?
A conspiracy theory is an idea that a group of people is working together in secret to accomplish evil goals.
Such theories are nothing new but it seems now they are no longer limited to the periphery of society. They've become powerful forces mobilising and locking millions into a common, warped belief system. From Holocaust deniers to those who believe the NASA moon landing was staged; from believers of Illuminati to those who dismiss Evolution or refute Climate Change, followers of Conspiracy Theories are not only victims of but also active propogators of misinformation across the world.
During the early stages of the current pandemic, we saw the internet flooded with elaborate speculations around the virus, from theories of international bio-warfare to those arguing that the virus was a hoax. While most people dismiss such unfounded theories as harmless noise, they seem to capture and sustain the attention of significant number of people. This group doesn’t just believe in, but clings on these theories even when they defy logic, are contradicted by available evidence and are dismissed by experts and the mainstream society.
This is not a subject for amusement, as belief in such theories can have dangerous consequences, as observed last year in the mob violence on Capitol Hill or the multiple incidents of lynchings in India triggered by viral WhatsApp messages.
How to deal with this? How to prevent people from falling for them? How to reason with someone fixated on an obvious conspiracy theory?
During the dark days of the Raj many predicted that the idea of India would eventually fail and the divisions of caste, religion and race would come to define the subcontinent. The 75 years of independent India have proved these doomsayers utterly wrong. Instead of the divisions, the peaceful co-existence of its various ethnic and cultural groups has come to define the Indian nation. Hence it is naturally a matter of grave concern that much of the national and international media in their coverage of India have been featuring alarming headlines about the rise of intolerance. Gruesome stories about communal violence and mob lynchings appear to have become commonplace. Many of India’s prominent artists and academics, along with veteran bureaucrats and opposition politicians have felt compelled to draft public letters, deliver emotional parliamentary speeches and file writ petitions in the Supreme Court, seeking urgent action to check this disturbing trend. Even foreign leaders such as Barack Obama and Kamala Harris have pushed diplomatic boundaries to remind India of its commitment to democracy and the strength it derives from being inclusive. Can all of this be simply an overreaction or is it a sinister conspiracy to defame India? Or worse, is it true? Is India seeing a rise in hate?If indeed true, the alarm bells must be heeded. Hate, if allowed to fester for too long, can tear the social fabric of any society. Moreover, experts point out that "rising intolerance, hate crimes and moral policing can seriously damage the economic growth of the nation." That’s a risk India, which still needs to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty, cannot afford to take. The doctrine of hate cannot be allowed to reverse India's upward trajectory. In this session, we meet face-to-face with Mr. Harsh Mander, who has been nominated this year for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extensive work with victims of mass violence and his campaign 'Karwan-e-Mohabbat'. 'Karwan-e-Mohabbat', meaning “Caravan of Love” was founded by Mr. Mander in 2017, to show solidarity to victims of hate crimes. An award-winning author, researcher, teacher and human rights worker, he has been hailed as "an important voice for religious tolerance and dialogue."
When William Jones, a British Orientalist, discovered striking commonalities between Sanskrit and European languages, it pointed to common or shared ancestry between Indians and Europeans. This led to immediate conclusions that India was the “cradle of civilisation” and Sanskrit, the “mother of Indo-European languages.”
However, with the rise of European imperialism and emergence of racial superiority ideas in the nineteenth century, the narrative changed. Europeans began to see themselves as undertaking a mission of civilising the “inferior” peoples of Asia and Africa, or assuming “the white man’s burden”. Hence, India could no longer be the ‘cradle of civilisation’. In this context, an alternative explanation was offered for the shared linguistic ancestry. The theory proposed was of an ancient invasion of India by an advanced people from the West, who called themselves “Aryas” (as they do in Mahabharata), and brought with them a great language and a sophisticated philosophy, which went on to become Sanskrit and Vedas respectively. This made the British invasion of India look like just another “Aryan wave”, bringing with it culture and learning.
The narrative was problematic from the very beginning, as there was little to no evidence to support it. In the twentieth century the theory of “invasion” was conclusively discredited, but this still left the question of shared linguistic ancestry unanswered. The most commonly offered explanation today is that while there was no invasion, there was most likely a gradual “movement” or “migration” of these Aryan people into India.
This still implies foreign roots for Sanskrit and Vedas, making the theory anathema to Indian nationalists, who see Sanskrit and Vedas as the foundational pillars of Indian civilisation and culture. While many respected scholars have submitted credible challenges and offered alternative explanations to the migration theory, that legitimate academic debate has been overshadowed by the political controversy now surrounding it. In the absence of sufficient archeological evidence, several genetic and linguistic studies have been undertaken in recent years, but the findings are often obfuscated by exaggerations, distortions and outright misinformation.
The aim of this session is to demystify this fascinating part of Indian history - deconstructing the research findings and separating fact from fiction.
American hegemony in the world has been formidably challenged in recent years by China. Beijing’s rapid technological progress, breakneck defence buildup, expanding space program, increasingly assertive actions in South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, the humongous Belt and Road Initiative and China’s leadership in the creation of the world’s largest trading block RCEP, reveal its aspiration to modify the international system to its advantage. Washington however is determined to prevent China from having a free reign in reshaping the global order. It has announced it would provide nuclear submarine technology to Australia, with the prospect that its submarines could pop up, undetected, along the Chinese coast. The last time US shared that kind of technology was in 1958, when Britain adopted nuclear reactors to counter the Soviet Union. United States has strengthened its informal alliance with Japan, Australia and India under the QUAD forum, augmented its naval exercises in South China Sea, And has extended moral and arms support to Taiwan. All of this forms part of a direct counter to China!
In Oct this year, CIA announced that it had created a new China mission center to position the United States to confront “the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese government.” Earlier in the year President xi jinping declared in July that those who get in the way of China’s ascent will have their “heads bashed bloody against a Great Wall of steel.” These statements sounds eerily similar to the rhetoric common during the Cold War.
Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister and longtime China expert, this year told a German newsmagazine that a Cold War between Beijing and Washington was “probable and not just possible”.
The text book definition of COLD WAR is a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare.
Based on what we are witnessing right now between US and China, would it be fair to say that the world is entering a new cold war?
To answer this we have with us, the long time International Affairs editor at the Hindu, Dr Stanly Johny.
The unusual buildup of Russian troops near Eastern Ukraine has drawn fears of an imminent Russian #invasion of #Ukraine. While strongly denying such claims, Russia has admitted that its relations with the US and #NATO have approached a “dangerous point”. Russia has called for immediate talks with the US, ahead of which it has put forth a tough list of demands. These include that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet countries and roll back the deployment of troops and weapons in central and eastern Europe. US is unlikely to acquiesce and has announced that it will be coming out with a set of counter demands. If diplomatic talks fail, tensions could quickly escalate.
India wants to retain its strategic autonomy and pursue independent relations with each of the great powers. But this has become difficult with the resurgence of hostility between the West and #Russia.
India cannot afford to alienate Russia, it’s most important #defence partner, especially not when India is dealing with heightened security concerns posed by an increasingly aggressive China. In the past, India has shown understanding towards Russia’s concerns in Ukraine, such as by voting against a Western-backed #UNresolution in 2020 on #humanrights violations in Crimea.
But many observers point out that India would not be able to easily look away if Russia invades Ukraine, an important trading partner to India. As a leading democracy, India would be expected to condemn the illegal occupation of a fellow democracy, and the accompanying human rights violations. More so India’s western partners would insist on its cooperation.
So far India has tried to remain neutral and called for a constructive dialogue among all stakeholders. However if the crisis snowballs, India might be pressured into taking a stand. Who will India choose - it’s key strategic partner, the US or its long-time friend Russia? How can India walk this diplomatic tightrope without alienating either side?
In this event, Padma Shri Kanwal Sibal will discuss with us the diplomatic complexities of this challenging situation for India.
It is not uncommon to hear laments about the gradual decline of the much cherished “Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb”, a syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture, manifest across the festivities, literature, aesthetics, crafts, music, dance, spiritual practices and culinary traditions of the people of northern and central Indian plains. This shared culture is understood to have evolved over centuries of co-existence and interdependence, and came to epitomise the Indian ethos of 'unity-in-diversity'.
However in recent years many have begun to question whether such a culture did ever exist? They claim it to be a myth concocted by the urban and feudal elites. Interestingly there does not seem to be much agreement among the dissenters on the motivations behind this alleged myth-crafting. For some it was an attempt to cover up centuries of oppression of the subjugated Hindu majority by the elite Muslim minority, and for others it still serves as a way to cover up the disenfranchisement of the present Muslims, who themselves naively cling on to this notion seduced by the false sense of security it promises.
Communal perspectives aside, even some scholars are sceptical and tend to dismiss it as romanticised nostalgia of the ‘old elite’, with little basis in actual history where inter-communal tensions have always lurked beneath the surface and sporadic violent conflicts have been a norm going back centuries.
So is the much famed Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb or Hindu-Muslim Unity really just a myth?
In 1585 Queen Elizabeth I of England sent a letter to Jalal-ud-din Muhammad #Akbar, the powerful Mughal emperor of India, in an attempt to open trade relations between their two countries. Fifteen years later she would grant the Royal Charter to a group of London merchants to trade with India. This would become the infamous #EastIndiaCompany (EIC), which would go on to assume military and administrative control over all of #India, and in process intertwine the destiny of Britain and India for several centuries.
We know a fair amount through our studies and movies about the #British-Indian relations during the #colonial period. However, what is much less discussed and understood is the period before the British became the occupiers and oppressors (1608-1764), when the interactions were centred around trade and cultural exchange instead of conquest and domination.
Dr. Sujata Ashwarya is an Associate Professor in the Centre for West Asian Studies [Middle Eastern], Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Her research interests include the political economy of energy, India’s West Asia policy, politics and foreign policy of Iran, Iraq and Israel, and issues relating to democratization in the region. She has presented more than 50 research papers in national and international conferences and seminars. She has more than 30 published research articles, and has written, edited and co-edited 5 books.
Full Blog - https://www.argumentativeindians.com/post/israel-palestine-conflict-explained-by-dr-sujata-ashwarya
Debate - "India's stance on Israel-Palestine - Neutral or tilted ?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsLoZ-AhXjQ&t=2788s
Dr Ruth Vanita shares her research on hundreds of low-income, non-English-speaking same-sex couples from 1980 to the present who have got married by religious rites and/or committed joint suicide, with the hope of being united in the next life. She also discusses centuries of Indian writing and art about same-sex unions.
Dr Vanita is an Indian academic, activist and author. She specialises in Indian and British literary history, with a focus on gender and sexuality studies. She is a professor at University of Montana, where she directs the program for South and South-East Asian studies. She is also an expert on Hindu Philosophy and the author of several acclaimed books.
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